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With virtual reality services and technology becoming more commonplace in our society, director Yedidya Gorsetman has done something pretty impressive and created, with the help of writer Mark Leidner, Empathy Inc., a film where VR is its central focus. The film has recently been praised by Variety and ahead of its wide release tomorrow, Yedidya spoke to ThisIsTheLatest about the creative process involved in making the film, his views on VR in general and his thoughts on the future of the film industry.

TITL: Where did the first ideas for Empathy, Inc. first come from and how did you set about bringing them to life?

Yedidya Gorsetman: I was
working with the writer Mark Leidner, a good friend. For our second film, we’d
been brainstorming plot devices that could deliver a big hook but were doable
on an indie budget. For example, we were exploring time travel between two
periods in the present day, mind-reading, people from the past or future in the
present day, and actors playing multiple characters, to name a few. Then one
day Mark sent the idea for Empathy,
Inc. It blended a sci-fi plot
device with business conspiracy which is a sub-genre we both were fans of –Wall
Street, The Firm,
etc. In addition, it had a big theme that we were ourselves curious about:
could you really “learn” empathy and better your soul by buying “empathetic”
experiences? It also had a bunch of fun stuff that would allow that technology
to be abused by bad actors in interesting ways. It ticked off all the boxes for
the type of story we wanted, and had the resources to tell, so we started
outlining. The script came pretty quick. Then it was just a matter of executing
with our stellar producer Josh Itzkowitz and the rest of our cast and crew.

TITL: How did you find the
collaborative process between yourself and writer Mark Leidner? Did you find
that you both had similar ideas from the start or was there some compromise
involved when it came to creating what’s now about to be shared with the world?

YG: Mark and I have worked
together many times since our first movie Jammed. I don’t know
how other creative teams work, but we spend most of the writing trying to
understand how plot, setting, and character interact, and we’ve developed a
shared language around that. So we argue and debate pros and cons of any
decision to the point of exhaustion, but it can also be fun because we are
often starting from the same set of assumptions. When something doesn’t work,
identifying the issue is usually harder than fixing it. Diagnosing issues can
take months because we have blind spots due to inexperience, but fixing it is
usually just a matter of brainstorming and then choosing the most practical
solution. During the outlining phase of Empathy, Inc., we had
to have a lot of hard conversations about our objectives with the story, what
was primary, what was secondary, what was tertiary, etc.—before we both landed
on the same page. Once we knew our hierarchy of objectives, though, we usually
agreed on the best way to get there and were very aligned throughout production
and post.

TITL: What was/is it about
actor Zack Robidas that made you feel he was perfect for the star role in the
film?

YG: Zack was the 3rd
person to read for Joel on the first day of casting. And he read a pretty insignificant
moment from the film. But when he started his monologue it was obvious that he
was our guy. I think Zack really understood Joel’s character—a charismatic man
who knew how to make people like him, whose flaw was that he had to be
successful in order to love himself, and he thought he could solve every
problem that arose by himself. On the surface, there’s something attractive
about someone who can work miracles and make things happen. But Zack also saw
the other side of that: a deep insecurity driving a compulsion to succeed. I
think it was that depth of understanding that Zack brought to the character
that makes Joel feel real. It was very subtle in the casting session, but since
we had spent the last 6 months thinking about this character every day, we
recognized it immediately in Zack’s performance.

TITL: The film has already been critically acclaimed with Variety recently hailing it as an “ingenious indie thriller.” Even before its wider release, did you ever expect the film to get the response from critics that it has?

YG: We figured that the
film would at the very least find a small but passionate following. We also
hoped for mainstream consideration but didn’t know if we’d get it. We
mistakenly believed a film like ours had to screen at a festival like Sundance,
Cannes, or SXSW to get theatrical release or major press, and when we got
rejected, it was a hard pill to swallow. I remember thinking, “That’s it. We
did the best we could with what we had and it just didn’t break through. Onto the
next thing.” But we kind of got a break when we ended up screening at
Cinepocalypse, an amazing genre festival in Chicago, and Josh Goldbloom, one of
the festival heads, really liked it. He introduced us to Dark Star Pictures in
LA. They loved the film, wanted to do a theatrical release, and even wanted our
feedback on the marketing side. It suddenly felt like we were in good hands
with people who not only believed in the movie but were also interested in our
input. Working with them has been like a dream, and we’ve been humbled by the
recent positive reaction to the movie. We always thought there was something
unique about it, but we had no sense of how real world audiences would respond.
To have any amount of mainstream recognition is something we’re grateful for.

TITL: What’s the
nicest/best thing anyone could say to you/write about this film?

YG: That they continued to
think about the film the next day. Those are the movies I love the most. The
ones that stay with you. When people have told me that, it makes me feel like
all the anxiety and the gruelling hours were worth it. Knowing someone was
affected by one of our characters makes me happy because I feel like I’ve paid
forward something that films have given me: a sense of wonder or a sense of
emotional expansion without which life would be less interesting.

TITL: Do you personally
feel that, in this technology obsessed society we’re a part of, VR will
continue to grow in popularity and in the number of things it can/might be used
for?

YG: It seems likely as long
as people fantasize about changing their circumstances. In our film, we take
that to an extreme in a way that I’m pretty sure is impossible, but the
metaphor is nonetheless true. Every year VR technology seems to offer new ways
to forget who we are. The question is whether it will deliver any real meaning,
which is a theme I hope our movie explores.

TITL: Would you agree that
there’s too much reliance on things like VR already, and that human interaction
etc. between actual people in the real world is slowly being cast aside?

YG: I feel like there’s
always a huge plus and a huge minus to any advance in technology. I don’t think
it’s helpful or accurate to pine for a long lost time when everyone you knew
lived in your hometown and no one had any devices. I think those days had their
own horrible problems and we romanticize them at our own peril. It’s probably
always the same: some new tech will enable people to satisfy some long
unsatisfiable urge while shutting off other urges, or creating new problems
like addiction, manipulation, or incoherence. In 100 years, whatever technology
we have today that seems cutting-edge will be being pined for by those upset at
the new technologies unseating it. I put my phone away when I’m talking to
someone I respect or who I want to know better, and that’s about where I stop
worrying about it.

TITL: How does this project differ from any you’ve done in the past and is such a difference something you chose deliberately? How important is it to you that you can and do stretch your creative wings, as they say?

YG: Our first film Jammed was
a light-hearted comedy. Empathy,
Inc. has a couple funny moments,
but it’s much more intense and dependent on plot. Practically, we pivoted
because it’s hard to find a distributor who will even watch an indie comedy,
let alone take one on. But I also believe there is a benefit to stretching
yourself creatively. After having made two films, there’s still so much I don’t
know that I want to learn, and every time I’ve stretched myself creatively in
the past, I’ve learned a ton. In Empathy,
Inc. I had to learn how to direct
action and special effects on a level I hadn’t before. No matter what genre our
next project is in, I’ll certainly be pushing myself to learn new things.

TITL: With
Empathy, Inc. about to go on release, have you started looking
to/for your next project yet, or are you just going to enjoy seeing and hearing
people’s reactions to this for a while?

YG: Although we are
currently focused on the release, we have a new script in the sci-fi/fantasy
ballpark that we really like. We would be excited to bring it to life, should
the opportunity come along. Like Empathy,
Inc., it’s focused on a conflict
between speculative technology and morality.

TITL: Finally
then, where do you see the future of the film industry heading? With more and
more individuals looking to make their mark on the business, either as
directors or actors, and with films becoming ever more “current” in
terms of their subject matter, such as VR, do you ever worry about there being
“too much” of it all and somehow being over-shadowed? How are you
working to help make sure yourself and your work stay relevant and catch the
attention of both fans and critics?

YG: At this point in my
career, I generally don’t worry about the state of the movie industry. It’s so
far beyond me, and its changes are so unpredictable. My worries are personal,
familial, political, and when I’m making a film, I worry about that film. But
that’s where I try to stop the worry. I’m not even sure things are any
different now than they ever were. Film has always responded to current
concerns, and it probably always will, as it should. As for good movies being
overshadowed by the sheer amount of movies out there, I generally believe that
distributors and audiences and filmmakers are savvy enough to find each other
and lift each other up where there is a spark in the work that captures their
imagination or conscience. Good stories tend to get told and shared because
they are such a huge source of meaning in our lives. I don’t think that’ll ever
go away.

Check out the trailer for Empathy Inc. below and for more information on the film, visit Facebook and Twitter. You can also keep up to date with Yedidya on Twitter.

It’s amazing what an idea can do. After dropping out of college and moving to LA, following managing a big pet boutique for a while, CEO Fields had the idea to launch his own fitness company for dogs. With business going well, Fields went on to invest his profits wisely and made his first million in two years.

This rags to riches story was personified and showcased for all to see and hear on Fields’ debut single “25/8” , which highlighted just how far perseverance and dedication to what you do can get you and now, with his business established, his position in the music world set on a solid foundation and his following on the rise, he’s sharing his latest work in the form of new single “Yours”, which ThisIsTheLatest are delighted to premiere.

Asked about the new release, Fields says:

“Yours is my version of a love song for the Boss Woman out there that has my heart and all of my attention. After ’25/8′ I wanted to speak to the women so that they know I have something for them too. It’s a fun song, both empowering and raunchy.”

Give “Yours” a listen below and for more information on CEO Fields, give his page a like on Facebook or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Related

Music is a HUGE part of Harrison Caldeira’s life. After
being diagnosed with MS back in 2011, a diagnosis that at one point left him without
mobility in his hands and feet, he found a new determination to be a part of a
world that had provided him with so much pleasure throughout his life. After
re-learning to play the guitar and while constantly working on his general
health and well-being, he wrote and recorded his rather acoustic sounding EP, The Equinox, which was released back in
2017. Since then, Caldeira has spent the past couple of years writing and
recording, taking the time to hone his craft and experiment more with his
electric guitar.

Following on from the release of his previous singles “Friends
With Benefits” and “Silence”, he’s now unveiled his latest work, a track titled
“Man Up” and ThisIsTheLatest are
delighted to give the song its premiere.

Asked about the story and meaning behind the song, which
fuses together soulful vocals with an electro-pop led sound, Caldeira says:

“Growing up, I was a really
sensitive kid. I remember being told to “man up” when I tried to express
myself. I love this song because it’s like an anthem to my younger self. Being
that vulnerable person is who I truly am. So I wanted to turn that whole expression
on its head to let people know that it’s cool to express yourself, and that
being vulnerable is actually a strength.”

Give “Man Up” a listen below and for more
information on Harrison Caldeira, visit his website, give his page a like on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.